A Tender Heart

This is going to be a really short blog post (and everyone shouts Hallelujah!), but what God has been doing in my life today is causing me to have a more tender heart.  I am beginning to realize all the people around me that I take for granted every day.  How many times have I told the receptionist that I like her smile, or my boss how much I appreciate him?  It seems like there is a lot of negative talk that goes on everywhere, and it's easy to get sucked in and join the crowd.  Sitting around the break table or passing conversations in the hallway often tend to tear others down rather than build them up.  However, if we are to follow God's calling to live grateful lives, then surely that involves more than simply staying away from the bad things.  What if we were to recognize the good in people and call special attention to it?  What can we do to encourage someone around us every day?  It could be in the simplest way, like a card in their mailbox.  It seems to me that if we set for ourselves a lifestyle of looking for the good in others rather than complaining about the bad, not only would we be more pleasant to be around, but our world would be a better place.  Please join me in this prayer:  Lord, please give me a tender heart to recognize the good in others around me, and the creativity to know how to encourage them best.